This invention relates to a system and method for displaying pop-up symbols to enable users to select accelerator keys associated with computer software options.
Computer software applications continue to add more options that users may implement in that software application. With more options available to the user, it becomes increasingly difficult to devise ways to enable users to easily and efficiently implement these options. Some applications include pull-down menus that display various options and even sub-options. In these applications, for a user to select and implement an option, a user uses a mouse (or other input device) to select a menu heading (e.g., xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d), and then may select an option from the menu heading (e.g., xe2x80x9cSavexe2x80x9d) and any sub-option (e.g., xe2x80x9cSave as New Documentxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cSave as New Versionxe2x80x9d) within that option.
Existing systems also provide certain short-cuts to speed the selection of certain options without accessing pull-down menus. In at least some existing software applications, there are at least two types of short-cuts by which a user can select an option: (1) option icons that correspond to selectable options, and (2) accelerator keys.
Option icons are generally graphical xe2x80x9cbuttonsxe2x80x9d that represent an option For example, a common icon is a print icon. By selecting this icon, a document (or other item) may be printed. Option icons can also correspond to format options, file folders, tasks or a variety of other known options.
Accelerator keys are usually a combination of keys (e.g., ALT-P) that when simultaneously depressed, implement an option (e.g., printing). In some cases, a single key (e.g., F7) can be an accelerator key. In some applications, when the user clicks on a menu heading, a listing of selectable options, along with a keyboard combination shortcut (ALT-S) is shown to correspond to the selectable options. The user may then select that option by using the keyboard combination shown for that selectable option.
Option icons and accelerator keys provide certain advantages. However, there are also drawbacks associated with each. One drawback associated with option icons is that they require a user to manipulate a mouse (or other input device) to point to and click on the desired icon. This usually requires the user to remove at least one hand from the keyboard. Some users find that this decreases productivity.
Accelerator keys avoid the need for users to remove their hands from a keyboard. However, a user must typically memorize the accelerator key combination associated with each option or the user must check a user manual, on-line help, a pull-down menu, or other reference source to determine the key combinations for a particular option.
Another drawback with existing accelerator key systems is that the assignment of these key combinations is limited. Typically, each key combination is designated to represent a single option at a time. The user may change the assignment of the key combination to represent another option, but the key combination can not serve to simultaneously represent multiple options. For example, xe2x80x9cALT-F,xe2x80x9d may represent the xe2x80x9cOpen File Menuxe2x80x9d option; or reassign xe2x80x9cALT-Fxe2x80x9d to correspond to a xe2x80x9cFAXxe2x80x9d option; but the keys xe2x80x9cALT-Fxe2x80x9d cannot operate both xe2x80x9cOpen File Menuxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cFAX.xe2x80x9d
Some existing systems arrange option icons in groups (e.g., tool bars). Further, in some systems, when a user points to an icon (e.g., by moving a cursor over the icon), an indicator is provided to identify the option to which the icon corresponds. This is sometimes known as xe2x80x9cbubble help.xe2x80x9d A limitation associated with bubble help is that the user must typically move a mouse over the icon to activate bubble help for that particular icon. Thus, bubble help is provided for only one icon at a time. Another drawback is that the user must remove at least one hand from a keyboard to move a cursor over the icon.
Other drawbacks also exist with known systems.
One object of the invention is to overcome these and other drawbacks of known systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method, and computer readable medium that enables a user to cause the computer to display pop-up accelerator key symbols associated with and next to option icons and that represent keys that may be selectable by the user through use of a keyboard or other input devices to implement the option with which the symbol is associated.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system, method, and computer readable medium that enables a user to select options by using accelerator keys without requiring memorization or requiring the user to manually check a reference guide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method, and computer readable medium that facilitates simultaneous display of multiple accelerator key symbols that correspond to two or more groups of selectable options.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system, method, and computer readable medium for enabling display of multiple levels of accelerator key symbols.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system, method and computer readable medium that enables context-sensitive assignment of accelerator key combinations to enable the same key or key combination to represent different options in different contexts.
These and other objects of the invention are carried out according to various embodiments of the invention. One embodiment comprises a system, method, and computer readable medium containing computer readable instructions for displaying pop-up accelerator key symbols that indicate accelerator keys that may be activated by a user to select a user selectable portion in a graphical user interface (GUI) to initiate an option corresponding to the user selectable portion. For example, when a user holds down the xe2x80x9cALTxe2x80x9d key, the pop-up display includes a letter, number or other symbol next to each icon in one or more icon groups. The letter, number or symbol corresponds to an input of an input device that, when depressed (alone or with the xe2x80x9cALTxe2x80x9d key), functions to select the option the icon represents.
For example, assume a tool bar contains five icons, each corresponding to an icon in the GUI that corresponds to a computer software option. If a user depresses the ALT key, the display may pop-up a number (or other symbol) for each icon, wherein the number or other symbol corresponds to an accelerator key combination that may be used to select the option associated with that icon. For example, the numbers 1-5 may be assigned to the five icons, respectively. Thus, in this example, ALT-1 may cause the option associated with the first icon to be implemented, and so on.
According to another aspect of the invention, upon activation of a key, the display may simultaneously indicate symbols for a plurality of groups of icons. For example, a display may comprise a first tool bar and a second tool bar (or other group of icons). When the ALT key is selected, the system may display a symbol corresponding to the accelerator key for each icon of each group. One advantage of this aspect of the invention is that it does not require the user to use a mouse, memorize accelerator key combinations or manually look up accelerator key combinations to implement an option.
According to another embodiment, the display may indicate a first symbol for a first group of icons and a second symbol for second group of icons. The user may then select one of the symbols. In response, the system may display accelerator key symbols for each icon of the selected group. Multiple levels of groupings (more than two) may also be selected in this level.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the detailed description and drawings set forth herein.